Escalation
by Nelarun
Summary: No one quite knows how to make a Quincy angrier than a Shinigami, likewise a Quincy can enrage a Shinigami like no other... Truly it's more of a wonder they're friends. Not Yaoi, set during the time skip.


Escalation  
a Bleach fanfiction  
by Nelarun

Bleach and all characters © Kubo Tite

* * *

**_November 6th Karakura High, first year of high school _**

Orihime isn't quite sure of how to react when Ichigo walks into their classroom, a package wrapped in brown paper under his arm – a package which he proceeds to drop on Ishida Uryuu's desk. "Happy Birthday."

To an outsider it was merely a case of two 'not-friends' or perhaps 'frenemies' observing a birthday, indeed at first glance, that was all Orihime dismissed it as. However she soon sees the beginning of a smirk touch Ichigo's lips. Ishida, clearly having seen the smirk, proceeds to study the package with a healthy mixture of caution and disdain with a small dash of curiosity thrown in for fun. The curiosity wins out and he deftly opens the package, which to everyone's confusion reveals a black hakama. Well almost everyone. Orihime watches as Ishida twitches... and then twitches again. He looks like he is about to tear the hakama to shreds before good manners win out. "Thank you, Kurosaki," he enunciates clearly to the openly smirking former substitute Shinigami. "I'll treasure it I'm sure." To Ishida's credit, Orihime can't detect even a hint of poison in his words.

"Be sure that you do," Ichigo replies as he leaves class to run an errand. "It's bad manners to refuse, re-gift or destroy a gift after all." Orihime doesn't know how Ishida manages to refrain from hurling something after Ichigo, but again to Ishida's credit, he calmly re-wraps the uniform and shoves it under his desk, a small smirk plays on his lips. July couldn't come soon enough.

**~(^_^)~**

**_July 15, Kurosaki Residence, second year of high school. _**

Chad and Orihime blink as they turn to wait for Ishida to catch up to them, blinking in surprise as they notice the large package under his arm. "Wow Ishida-kun! That's a huge present!" Orihime gushed, eyes going wide.

"Yes," Ishida agrees as he pushes his glasses up his nose, the hint of sadistic glee in his eyes causes both Chad and Orihime to shuffle away and safeguard their own presents.

They arrived at the Kurosaki residence to see a mildly disgruntled Ichigo watching Keigo and Isshin rile each other up as Tatsuki and Mizuiro watched with avid interest. As the door opened, Ichigo half turned, his quick reflexes enabling him to catch the package sailing for his head. "Bastard," he muttered.

"Happy Birthday," was all the completely unrepentant Uryuu deigns to say. Ichigo glowers but curiosity dictates that he takes the large package and open it.

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

And then the twitching starts.

The others crowd around him to see what present could possibly provoke this sort of reaction and discover a bed set in white, the cover had a blue star like cross on it. Isshin was almost beside himself with laughter as he saw the gift.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime sighed as Ichigo snatched the gift up and started to leave. "You didn't thank Ishida-kun for the gift."

Never one to remain on the sidelines for too long, Tatsuki jumps in. "Yeah, Ichigo. It looks hand stitched too," she notes.

"It is," Ishida smiles the smile of the innocent (Ichigo doesn't believe for a moment and turns around, a smile on his face.)

"Thank you for this wonderful present. I shall treasure it always."

"That's good, especially as we both know it's rude to throw out or damage a gift."

"Yes..." Ichigo's smile dropped to be replaced with his scowl as he continued to his room while Ishida calmly walks into the kitchen to greet Karin and Yuzu.

"Does anyone else have the feeling that they're out of the loop?" Tatsuki asked, ignoring the still laughing Isshin.

**~(^_^)~**

_**November 6th Karakura High, second year of high school.** _

Ichigo's return gift is small and slim. Orihime has a terrible feeling that she knows exactly what it is and yet can not help the small feeling of glee she gets as Ishida twitches before Ichigo even reaches the desk.

"Happy Birthday." He drops the box and Ishida growls before he reaches out and almost tears the box apart in his haste to reveal the beautifully crafted blade in a light blue sheath. The guard looked like the Quincy Cross and he twitched as he pulled it out to reveal a perfectly sharpened blade.

"Idiot!" Ishida shouts, hurrying to hide the blade. "This is illegal!"

Ichigo smirked. "I know. But I figured your pride wouldn't allow you to get arrested." He waves goodbye and Ishida looks for one moment like he was about to pull out the katana and stab Ichigo with it... repeatedly... in the back.

**~(^_^)~**

**_July 15th Karakura High, third year of high school._**

Ichigo twitches as he stares at the 'gift' on his desk. It isn't even wrapped. "Happy Birthday." Ishida speaks from behind him much to his class' amusement. It is an unfortunate fact that these birthday exchanges had become quite popular among their year level, with their peers stopping by at least once to find out what the birthday boy had gotten.

"Oi, Ishida!" Ichigo turns around. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this!"

"The exact same thing I was supposed to do with a katana. Not get caught." He smirks and walks towards his own classroom.

Ichigo turns back to the 'gift' a beautifully polished wooden bow, a polished, leather stretched quiver bristling with arrows, and glowers at it before he sighs and shifts them off his desk. November was just around the corner too... "Damn."

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A/N: Thanks to Corthis for reading it over. ^_^. I was originally going to stop with the bedspread, but I couldn't see Ichigo just leaving it be. I'm also assuming that before November, Ichigo runs into Ginjou and canon picks up while the byplay of the birthday exchange is forgotten.

EDIT: Thanks to For Glory Honour and Freebies for catching the mistake. ^_^


End file.
